Firefighters to make old fire station home for colleagues fighting cancer

When finished, the firefighter house will have three furnished apartments and room for expansion

KHOU.com

HOUSTON, Texas — A group of Houston firefighters are looking to make a run-down fire station building an oasis for colleagues battling cancer.

Cancer rates among firefighters are as much as 25 times the general public because they are exposed to all sorts of toxic substances scene after scene. The Station 27 building’s years as a house for Houston’s bravest are long past. The old brick building’s fixtures are rusted and its windows are busted.

The Society of Houston Latino Firefighters has viewed the building as a unseen gem for more than five years. “It is hard to speak of because when we speak of this we speak from the heart,” said Lorenzo Diaz, the group’s president, who is also battling cancer. “Much later in their career, they find out they have cancer. They pass away after they retire.”

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